Paris (AFP) – Nintendo is betting on the 2025 release of a bigger, better version of its blockbuster Switch console to keep up the success of the third best-selling games machine of all time. But the Japanese giant is keeping players waiting for full details of the successor model, showing off the console’s appearance in a slick video Thursday but delaying any detailed information until an April 2 livestream.
In the just over two-minute video, Nintendo shows off a console that looks similar to the original hybrid Switch, which can be handheld or connected to a TV screen. The Switch 2 boasts a larger central tablet-like screen with a kickstand and a similar layout to its predecessor, with paired “joy-con” controllers that clip to its sides with magnets. During the video, the console also shows off a new version of the long-running Mario Kart series both on its built-in screen and on a TV, after the latest installment, “Mario Kart 8”, sold more than 64 million copies.
The company said in a statement Thursday that the new machine “plays Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive games, as well as both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games” — which would fulfill a promise on backwards compatibility with the old console that it made in November. But it added that “certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2” — adding that further details would come “at a later date”.
– ‘Just what folks wanted’ –
Nintendo’s announcement was “just what was expected and what folks wanted. A bigger, more powerful Switch,” Mat Piscatella, an analyst at market research firm Circana, posted on Bluesky. “It should sell very well, and be a big boost to the existing market, but (I) don’t see expanded reach,” he added.
Nintendo also said that several “Nintendo Switch 2 Experience” events would be held in major cities around the world starting April 4 to give gamers an opportunity to test the new console. Players have long been hungry for news on a follow-up to the original Switch, which has sold more than 146 million units worldwide since hitting shelves in 2017. That makes the Switch the third-best-selling console ever after Sony’s PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s DS.
Mounting speculation had been stoked in recent weeks by leaks about some technical details. Nintendo estimates it has sold 1.3 billion copies of Switch titles, including “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”, which became a must-play among all age groups during Covid-19 lockdowns.
– ‘Well-loved franchises’ –
With sales of the original Switch falling, Nintendo had promised to unveil the new console by the end of March this year. At the same time, the Kyoto-based company has been diversifying into theme parks around the world and funding films based on its games and characters, like 2023’s global second-place box office performer “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”.
“However, Nintendo still generates approximately 91 percent of its revenue from its Nintendo Switch business, which shows the importance of the Switch 2,” said Darang Candra, an analyst with games market research firm Niko Partners. Candra said the long life of the first Switch was Nintendo’s attempt to create a precedent, getting out of the rat-race of rapid updates to hardware.
“Development costs and timelines have increased significantly in recent years in a way that may not be sustainable, particularly as the games industry sees a downturn in the last year,” he added. That appears to be in line with expectations from some lovers of Nintendo’s games. “The fans of Nintendo love what Nintendo does at its core — which is creating new content for existing and well-loved franchises that players have played since they were kids,” said LottieRoseGames, a 29-year-old streamer specializing in “Animal Crossing”.
© 2024 AFP
